The 2016 Farwest Show, August 25-27, in Portland, Oregon, will feature biological control expert, Ronald Valentin as one of its guest speakers this year. Valentin, Technical Lead-North America, Bioline Agrosciences Inc., will deliver a talk, ‘Biocontrol: Starting BCA’s in Propagation, Starting with a ‘Clean’ Plant and Understanding Life Cycles’, giving greenhouse growers a better understanding on the impact of BCA’s as a first line of defense for plugs.
Valentin will discuss a range of issues related to BCA’s including when to start BCA’s, defining what ‘clean’ young plants/plugs really are, implications of pesticides used on stock plants in propagation and the consequences for growers planning to use BCA’s once plugs have arrived at the greenhouse.
He will discuss the changes that can work positively to be successful with starting BCA’s.Valentin was born in the heart of the greenhouse industry in the Netherlands, growing up in a family owned greenhouse operation that started using biological control in 1971. He developed an early interest for the “bugs” and as a teenager he managed and produced the biological control agents for the family operation.
With education in crop protection management, biochemistry and vegetable production at State Secondary College of Agriculture in De Lier the Netherlands, he embarked on a career in biological control in 1986.
Over the years Valentin has worked with many growers to set up sustainable and effective pest management programs with a focus to use BCA’s as a fi rst line of defense. He also has trained and managed technical support teams in Europe, Canada and the USA. He is passionate about IPM and biological control
approaches and reducing the use of pesticides for the better of the environment. He will make his address on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10-11 a.m., in Room B117-119. This session will be translated in Spanish.
For more information and to register, visit www.FarwestShow.com.
